Which Headphones Work With The PS Portal?

As updates have poured in throughout the last year or so, the PlayStation Portal has become ever more attractive for on-the-go gaming (at least, as long as you have wi-fi available). It’s also perfect for streaming games while laid up in bed at night—or while taking care of some, uh, natural business if you’re so inclined.

But however and wherever you decide to break out your PlayStation Portal, part of the appeal is having a way to play your games while not disturbing others. For instance, if you’re in bed next to your significant other and don’t want to wake them, you should be able to pop in some earbuds and keep all your noisy gaming to yourself, right?

Well, with the PlayStation Portal, you may find yourself a bit disappointed when it comes to headphone selections. Let’s dive into your options.

Which headphones are compatible with PlayStation Portal?

So, first of all, the PlayStation Portal comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack, which means you can plug in any standard headphones and use them just fine. If you’ve got an old pair of wired earbuds in a drawer somewhere and don’t mind being tethered to the device with a wire, you’re golden.

However, things get more complicated if you want to use wireless headphones because, unfortunately, Sony has designed the PlayStation Portal to work exclusively with wireless audio devices that use its proprietary PlayStation Link connection. This means that any wireless headphones you already own likely won’t work with the PlayStation Portal.

So, which wireless devices do work? Well, you only have two options at this time.

PULSE Elite headset

PULSE Explore earbuds

Yeah, it’s kind of a bummer. Over time, there are sure to be additional headphones that use this technology, but it still kind of sucks to have to purchase an all-new audio device alongside a handheld system just to get such basic functionality.

Despite this frustrating decision by Sony, the PlayStation Portal remains one of the best ways to play your PlayStation games when you’re not near a console. And if handheld gaming is an important part of your life, it may be worth splurging to make the most of the experience. Or, you know, just dig out those wax-filled wired earbuds you bought back in 2009 and make do.